A Pilgrimage.

Religion and cults sometimes require a pilgrimage to high holy places, the followers of “The Trump” are no different. Many of their Republicans made a pilgrimage to the Big Apple to visit their exalted leader in court.

At least 9 GOP lawmakers are at Trump trial, which could be a problem for Republicans
The Hill
BY REBECCA BEITSCH AND ZACH SCHONFELD
May 16, 2024

At least nine Republican lawmakers traveled to New York to appear in court alongside former President Trump on Thursday, the latest in a string of GOP lawmakers to attend the hush money trial.

The move could jeopardize GOP attendance at a key vote later in the day and also comes after the House Oversight and Accountability Committee bumped a scheduled hearing to facilitate their attendance at court.

Reps. Matt Gaetz (Fla.), Lauren Boebert (Colo.), Andy Biggs (Ariz.), Mike Waltz (Fla.) and Eli Crane (Ariz.) were spotted in the courtroom, while Reps. Andy Ogles (Tenn.) Anna Paulina Luna (Fla.), Ralph Norman (S.C.) and House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good (Va.) were also spotted at the Manhattan courthouse.

Of course the closer you get to the exalted leader the more prestige one has.

Boebert and Gaetz were spotted sitting in the first row of the gallery, next to Eric Trump and the former president’s Secret Service agents. Good was also seen seated in the first row, on the other side of Trump’s security detail.

Five additional lawmakers are seated in the second row, which is also reserved for Trump’s guests.

Others hope to be anointed and receive his blessing for VP.

Other GOP lawmakers — including Reps. Byron Donalds (Fla.), Nicole Malliotakis (N.Y.) and Cory Mills (Fla.) and Sens. JD Vance (Ohio) and Tommy Tuberville (Ala.) — made the trip to the Manhattan courthouse this week, in addition to Republicans who have been floated as potential Trump running mates, including North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and Vivek Ramaswamy.

Like coy debutantes they line up for exalted leader blessing.

 

The party of "Law and Order" condemns the legal system, AP News writes,

Johnson, who is second in line for the presidency, called the court system “corrupt.”

Outside the New York courthouse, he decried “this ridiculous prosecution that is not about justice.” He said, “It’s all about politics.”

The speaker is leading a growing list of Republican lawmakers who are criticizing the American judicial system as they rally to Trump’s side, appearing at the courthouse to defend the party’s presumptive presidential nominee. Trump is accused of having arranged secret payments to a porn actress to hide negative stories during his successful 2016 campaign for president.

It seems like the Republicans does not trust the legal system unless it rules in their favor.

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Updated May 17, 2024 @ 8:00PM

The Hill…

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said he was flabbergasted that Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) made an appearance at former President Trump’s hush money trial in New York this week, slamming House Republicans who showed up as greedy for power.

Schiff was asked by MSNBC’s Alex Wagner on Thursday evening about his thoughts on the gaggle of Republican lawmakers who traveled to Manhattan to support the former president as he sits in court.

“I have so many thoughts and let me start with the Speaker because, I have to say, I was flabbergasted that he would go and make that pilgrimage, stand outside that courthouse and lie about what was going on inside the building,” Schiff said.

[…]

He went a step further, saying no one in the House Republican conference has “any real commitment” to the Constitution or a system of justice.

“It’s all about keeping power, gaining power, and no debasement too great before … their supreme leader,” Schiff said.